Where does “twitch” come from?
Twitch comes from Old English twiċċan, from Proto-Germanic kwikwaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, ultimately derived from the root gʷeih₃w-.
twitch (English): A brief, small movement out of place and then...
Definitions
- A brief, small movement out of place and then...
Ancestry of “twitch”, step by step
twitch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English quitch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | quitch | To shake (something); to stir, move |
| 2 | Middle English | quicchen | — |
| 3 | Old English | cweċċan | to shake, swing, move, vibrate, shake off, give... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kwakjaną | to shake, shake about, jolt, swing; to shake,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷog- | to shake, swing |
via Middle English twicchen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | twicchen | — |
| 2 | Old English | twiċċan | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | twikkijan | To fasten; clamp; pin; To pinch; pluck |
Words derived from “twitch”